Small Solace
by BlackRose108
Summary: He knew that both of them had come to some kind of peace by the brief moment, and it would have to be enough for the moment. There was too big a wall between them, both physically and metophorically, to have anything but small solace. Hiccup/Astrid.


**I finally got around to writing a fanfic for this movie. It really is a master piece.**

**Anyway, this takes place after Stoick tells Hiccup he's not a Viking or his son. This is, obviously, not in correct continuation with the rest of the movie, and if this moment was actually to take place the talk between Astrid and Hiccup on the cliff would've been different. But, then again, in some sort of way it could fit. **

**You be the judge. **

**(I own nothing, BTW).**

Small Solace

He walked out. Stoick the Vast walked away from what was his only son.

Hiccup just sat there, eventually moving from the position of a fallen boy to a more secluded spot in the corner of the chamber, his knees up to chest, heaving quietly.

But, not crying.

Despite being told that he was no longer a Viking and no longer was the son of his own father, Hiccup refused to let a tear shed from his eyes.

And then he heard footsteps.

"Hiccup," the voice sounded, but Hiccup didn't need to look up to know that it was Astrid. She had held him back while the other men detained Toothless and dragged him and the Nightmare into their chambers, even despite Hiccup's pleads to let him go, Astrid held him tighter, telling him that there was nothing he could do and that he'd be hurt if he just ran out there. All the while he knew she was right, but watching his own people drag Toothless away so violently was too much to bear. And the look in Toothless's eyes spoke a million words.

_I don't want to leave you, save me. _

Everyone had always considered dragons to fearless, emotionless creatures, but that look in Toothless's eyes debunked any theory that these magnificent creatures had no emotions. And Hiccup was sure that Toothless felt the same bottomless dread and worry that he felt churning in his stomach. He placed his legs down and clutched his abdomen, groaning slightly.

Astrid leaned down towards him, then, placing a hand on his shoulder and opened her mouth to speak.

"Stop," Hiccup told her before she could even say a word.

"Hiccup," She sighed. She knew he was going to be stubborn, but she wanted to be there anyway. Everyone had gathered around the chamber door silently when Stoick grabbed Hiccup by the back of his shirt and threw him into one of the empty dragon chambers. Everyone had heard what had happened. Hiccup pleading to his father not to hurt his dragon, knowing where the dragon's nest was, and being told he no longer had a tribe or a family. And as quickly as they all gathered the crowd dispersed when Stoick was close to the door.

"Please Astrid," Hiccup begged. He had—to his self-hared—felt slightly smug that Astrid had seemed to taken a shine to him since their flight on Toothless, giving him a kiss on the cheek and wishing him luck before his battle had been the most attention any female had given him other than his mother. He was just as equally glad that Astrid was here, at that moment, hoping to put the smallest of smiles back on his face. But, even for her, it was impossible. He was too far gone at the moment in his own sea of emotions. Too many things were running through his mind to focus on anything but not crying and Toothless—even more so _since_ Astrid was there beside him.

He met her gaze then. It was a pitiful one, he was sure, and the shine in Astrid's eyes when their eyes locked confirmed that she wanting nothing more than to comfort him but at the same time had no idea how to do so.

"I'm not leaving if that's what you're getting at." She told him, and made her point by sitting down completely next to him. Hiccup sighed and looked at her with a softer and more vulnerable gaze.

"Where am I supposed to sleep tonight?" He asked her in a horse whisper. His voice was thick with emotion as he came to the realization that he had screwed up so badly that he couldn't even go home. In fact, he was sure that the minute he walked out of the chamber he would drown in stares and whispers. "How can I even leave this room?"

Astrid's heart broke as the boy beside her was asking himself these questions. Questions no one their age should have to be asking themselves. And him, of all people, who was just trying to change things for the better, to end a pointless and violent war was now an outcast and shunned by his own father. Astrid grabbed his hand then.

"The same way we found the dragon's nest," she told him. Hiccup look up at her with wide and unknowing eyes, liking he didn't understand where she was coming from. "..together." she concluded. With a slight and ginger tug she helped Hiccup up on his feet and began walking towards the door. Hiccup walked silently and slowly behind her and when she finally opened the doors to the chamber Hiccup was bathed in moonlight and was relieved to see that the arena was empty.

"See? Everything's fine." Astrid told him and gave a small squeeze to his hand.

"Yeah, but…what about sleep?" Hiccup asked, still, when his eyes fanned down slightly. He supposed he was more tired than he thought. Astrid paused, stopping dead in her tracks, and realized she had no idea herself. She had gotten nothing but hard looks from her mother and father when they had figured out that she was involved in what had happened, and bringing Hiccup to the house wouldn't be wise. She slapped her other hand on her forehead.

Maybe she should've thought this through before she dragged Hiccup out in the open.

She turned her gaze over her should to look at him. He was every bit the picture of a fallen hero, only wounded emotionally, but she could see the pain running much deeper than any skin bare scar. He was pale and his freckles looked as if they'd pop off his face from all the tension of what she could strongly guess was the tears he was too stubborn to cry out.

She looked ahead at the bridge leading back to the village and then to the training arena. She sighed.

Hiccup's eyes opened from the small standing sleep he had drifted off into when he felt himself going back the exact same way he had came. He saw Astrid, still dragging his hand, leading him back to the arena. Once arrived she looked around for a comfortable spot—or as comfortable as they would get in a ash smelling, dirty dragon's arena—and found one near the angled exit. They had no blankets, no pillows and no courage to lay their bodies completely on the floor. But it was safe, and no one would be coming back there any time soon now that everyone would be departing for the dragon's nest the nest day.

Suddenly, though, there was a bang against one of the doors on the dragon chambers and Hiccup's eyes widened just as he was about to take a seat.

He knew that pound anywhere.

Both of them had completely forgotten that they kept dragons in the chambers of the arena, meaning Berk's newest catch would be residing there as well.

Hiccup ran over to the door and tried to open it, but it was barred up tight. Though there was a small crack between the two doors and there he met a large, yellow-green eye and a black shining pupil locking with his.

"Toothless," Hiccup chocked out a whisper, and wedged a hand into the small crack and found Toothless's scaly nose and moved his hand up and down in the best motions that he could. "How you doing, there, buddy?" Toothless let out a small whine, one that was high pitched, jagged, and broke his heart.

He was scared, and he wanted his friend.

And that's what did it, that sound that escaped his dragon's mouth because of his own people that made a tear finally fall from his eyes. The water seemed to sting down his face and his drew his bottom lip under his teeth to try and hide his sadness, still, from Toothless. The dragon nudged Hiccup's hand and blew a quick puff of air from his nostrils onto Hiccup's palm.

"I-I's going to be alright, Toothless, don't worry." Hiccup told him. "I'm going to fix this, just don't worry. You saved me so I'll save you." Toothless's eyes closed then, and Hiccup gave him one last touch before pulling his hand away. He knew that both of them had come to some kind a peace by the brief moment, and it would have to be enough for the moment. There was too big a wall between them, both physically and metaphorically to have anything but small solace.

He turned miserably back to the Viking girl on the other side of the arena, who has slowly nodding off but was alert enough when she heard his footsteps coming closer. She didn't say a word or ask about anything while he sat, she just tentatively took his hand in hers again and leaned her head against the side of his.

"Everything will be alright Hiccup." She finally told him so many moments later. It seemed like the best thing to say at the time since she knew, technically, nothing could really brighten the moment more than a little but when she felt Hiccup's fingers move from their position underneath her hand and intertwine their fingers together she smiled and dared to lean her head on his shoulder. Hiccup just moved closer.

In the distance Toothless looked out at the two Vikings between the small crack in the door, he knew that their relationship was strong now, and that together they'd find a way to fix all this, but for the moment Toothless slept the best he could in his chains and was rocked to sleep by a familiar heart beat far away of the slumbering Viking boy pressed against a Viking girl.

Bodies heavy, fingers intertwined, and thoughts on their own charted course.

And still, somehow, the boy the girl and the dragon all found some sort of small solace.

**Yes? No? Maybe so? Tell me what you think, cause if you liked this I've got a whole crop of HTTYD fanfics just waiting to be written. **

**~BlackRose108**


End file.
